


Stay (I Missed You)

by AdoraIunonem



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cheating, Deaf Character, Dementia, Dysfunctional Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Small Towns, inspired by schitt's creek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28005897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdoraIunonem/pseuds/AdoraIunonem
Summary: TW: family death, dementia/Alzheimer'sNo one could deny that Hera and Zeus had a dysfunctional marriage. But when Hera must return to her rural hometown to take care of her ailing mother, she must confront her past as well as her rocky relationship with her husband. Title from the Lisa Loeb song. Italics are sign, quotes are spoken.
Relationships: Hera/Zeus, Hera/Zeus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 33





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> TW: family death, dementia

"Are you sure you have to go?"

Hera rolled her eyes, grateful that her back was facing him as she packed her clothing into her suitcase. Zeus leaned against the door a few feet behind, expressionless, watching his wife calmly pack.

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't know what you want me to say. I can't do anything else."

"You could stay." Again, she rolled her eyes.

"She's deaf and has dementia, Zeus. I have to go." This time, it was Zeus's turn to roll his eyes. He couldn't understand why she had to go. Yes, it was her mother, but Hera never seemed so invested in her before. Guess she was changing her mind now that the woman's dying or something.

Hera sighed, placing the last of her mittens and socks in her suitcase. She got up, reaching for her purse and took out about 10 booklets of stamps. "Here, I already went to the post office and bought stamps. You need three of the forevers to send a letter to Canada. Just put your letter and the kids' too in one envelope." She walked over to him silently and placed the stamps in his hand. He furrowed his brow, looking at the different designs.

"There's like 200 stamps here, how long were you planning on staying there?" The more he looked at them, the more he looked nervous.

"I'm not sure, for as long as she needs me."

"That could be years."

"The doctor said she has less than six months." She turned her back to him, sitting on the edge of their bed and spaced out staring at the floor. Zeus took it as a cue to cautiously approach her, sitting down next to her and placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Hera." He kissed her temple, which seemed to do nothing to change how she felt. "So where is this place, Kneebone? Sassy-cat, sass-cat something," he said, changing the subject.

"Kneebone, Saskatchewan. I haven't been back there in years." She sighed, getting up to finish the next step of her packing.

"Are you sure we have to write letters? Can't we just Facetime like normal people?"

"There's no WiFi in my mother's house. And Kneebone is in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, there's a reason why I left, remember? Besides, my mother got rid of the phone when I moved away since she'd lost all her hearing by then, but I'll try to call on my cell phone whenever I can. The rates are high in Kneebone, though." Zeus also didn't understand why they couldn't pay the phone price. He was a powerful executive of a massive airline with tons of money to spend, they could foot the bill. A paranoia in him thought that maybe she just didn't want to talk to him, and that escaping to a rural Canadian town with a thousand residents was paradise for her.

"Oh, okay." An awkward silence permeated the air for a few seconds. "So, when do you leave?"

"On Thursday. It's a 6 hour flight from LA to Saskatoon, and then I'm taking a cab to Kneebone for an hour. I'll let you know when I get there." Which meant a postcard taking four days to arrive at their door. Great.

He kissed her cheek gingerly, which did not faze Hera. It almost seemed like she was immune to his affection. "Come on, let's go to dinner." She got up with him, following him to the dining room where their three adolescent children Hebe, Hephaestus, and Ares were already seated.

"Kids, you already know that I'm leaving for Kneebone soon," Hera announced. Their servant placed a plate of lamb shank with rice in front of her, filling her glass with some white wine. "I have to take care of your grandmother, she's not feeling well." Although their three children were concerned, they had no connection to Rhea. They had never met their grandmother. In fact, Hera barely brought her up all throughout their lives.

"How old is grandma anyways?" Ares mumbled through his food.

"She's just 78, but her health is getting worse." The short answer signaled that she wanted to stop talking about it, but of course, Ares couldn't read the room.

"So, how long do you think you're going to stay?"

Hera sighed, rubbing her temples. "I don't know, maybe up to a year." Zeus clenched the fork in his hand to the point he felt his skin almost bruising.

"A year?!" He threw the fork down, the utensil clattering a few feet across the lavish dining table. Everyone looked up from their plates, curious, but not surprised. Hebe, Hephaestus, and Ares were already used to their parents' outburst, and Hera sometimes couldn't care less.

"You told me you might stay there for less than six months! And now you're switching it up, god! You're just so fickle all the time. You can never tell the truth sometimes, and you don't even care if I find out, it's maddening!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, _I'm_ the one who can't tell the truth? Do you remember what we were fighting about last week? Because I remember _crystal clear_ exactly WHO we were talking about being dishonest!" The three teenage children rolled their eyes at each other, getting up to return to their rooms. They were done with their food anyways.

"Don't change the subject on me! We were specifically talking about _you_ telling everyone different things. So is it six months, is it a year, Hera? Because that's a BIIIG difference," he shouted, expanding his arms dramatically.

"Fine! Maybe I'm secretly hoping that she lives for at least a year more, because guess what! She's my mother! Maybe I do want to spend her last moments with her, because as I've said, _I am her daughter._ " She got up, grabbing her glass of wine to march over to her bedroom to finish it in peace.

"That's funny, because you never acted like that before."

" _Excuse me?_ " Hera's eyes glowed red, marching up to him until they were separated by a few feet.

"Who exactly was it that left their deaf mother behind in some rickety wooden house in a Canadian forest town? Because I didn't do that. Oh no, that was YOU!" His spittle flew in the air, his eyes matching her glowing anger. He huffed, waiting for her reply, only to see her silent gaze penetrating his guilt. Perhaps this remark hurt her more than all the countless affairs he'd had. He took a deep breath and whispered, "I'm sorry, Hera. I shouldn't have crossed that line, I--"

In an instantaneous moment of rage, she snarled and splashed her drink in his face, throwing the glass far enough to shatter against the wall. "Fuck you!" She pushed him off and marched back to her bedroom, leaving him in the dining room.

She slammed the bedroom door behind, taking her earrings off aggressively and kicking the side of her bed frame. Anyone would think that Zeus wouldn't pull some meaningless fight when she just got news that her mother was dying. Just last week, they were fighting about another affair he had, this time with a woman he met at a bar. Before, she was hurt, but at least she was used to it. This time, they crossed into a territory that she never discussed with him. Hera was always a little secretive about the small town life she had before moving to LA, and she didn't have the courage to bring up her self-engulfing guilt of leaving her mother behind. Hera returned to the comforting inner monologue to absolve her guilt. Well, at the time, her mother was doing fine. She was completely deaf by then, but she could still get around. She could walk to the store and get groceries, and Hera was sending her money so she could get whatever she wanted. Her mother even encouraged her to leave.

_Don't stay in this god forsaken town, Hera. Go to California and live your dreams, there's nothing for you here. Unless you want to marry that boy, Ixion,_ she signed. Hera could still envision her mother's slender hands, brightened by the moonlight creeping into her childhood bedroom. As a single tear dripped down Hera's cheek, Rhea wiped it away with her crimson fingernail. _Just come visit as much as you can, darling._

Hera grabbed a pillow and screamed into it, letting hot stinging tears drip out. That was the part she could never forgive herself for. As soon as Hera left for UCLA, she barely came back. Just for Christmas. Even during the summers she got jobs or internships in California, living with her 5 college friends Demeter, Hestia, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades in an apartment. Life seemed so much better when Zeus was just an econ bro roommate, the plug who bought vodka for parties and rosé for movie nights. The _friend_ who Hera couldn't care less who he hooked up with. She still sent money, sent letters and postcards, sent souvenirs and trinkets to her mother, but visited? A pit formed in her gut, reminding her of the broken promises she made. She couldn't help it. Over the years, she felt this piercing hatred of her small hometown. It was deserted, empty, where everyone knew everyone. No secrets were kept there. Nothing to do there. The sad part was how she started to associate her mother, her house, and the land to the town she wanted to leave behind so badly, and thus distanced herself away from her own mother. Now she was unsure if her mother would even remember her face. Only time could tell how bad her mother's dementia was.

Hera so badly wanted to return to last week, where her biggest problem was her husband's endless philandering. Even the betrayal and cracks in her marriage were better than this. She contemplated whether or not to have the kids visit their grandmother for the first time. She always avoided it, wary that their lack of ASL knowledge and the constant complaining of an Internet-less, TV-less house would spoil the trip. She regretted now that they might never get to meet their grandmother, or at least have her remember their names. Zeus had met her though. Once, at their wedding. They married as juniors in college. Everyone thought it was a bad decision. Demeter and Hestia told her to wait till they graduated. After all, they had only been dating for about a year. Her mother was happy for her, however. _I see he is much more handsome than that Ixion you dated in high school. He works at the boat rental service for the lake now,_ her mother signed to her at the wedding reception. _What a loser,_ Hera signed back, snickering. Maybe her life would've been much better if she married someone else. Not Ixion, no. He was a jackass. But maybe everyone was right, to hold off till graduation when they knew each other more. But without Zeus, she wouldn't have her children, and she was happy that although her marriage entered a cycle of tedium, heartache, and numbness, she had her growing children to hug.

Hera decided to ignore her pain by going back to packing. Living in Los Angeles, she forgot how cold Saskatchewan could get. It was hard finding earmuffs and snow pants in an LA July, but she found in a dusty safe in the basement the mittens her good-for-nothing father gave her mother before he left. She had given them to Hera, when she left for California. _Mom, it doesn't snow in LA, silly! That's why I'm going, remember?_ Rhea smiled, her crows feet creeping in. _I know, but I want you to have it anyways._

She was packing so aggressively that she didn't hear Zeus come up behind her at the door of her bedroom. "Do you need help packing?" he asked, frightening her a bit.

"This is the first time you've offered. I suspected you never helped because you didn't want me to go. You should be jumping for glee, Zeus. That means you can sleep with all the women you want without me finding out," she retorted sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you so difficult all the time?"

"Why are you?" She stood up, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Whatever, just, do you need help?"

"No, I'm fine." She bent back down, ignoring him. She didn't know how to explain to him that their marriage got to the point that she felt uncomfortable being in a room with him sometimes.

"I'll be in my bedroom." He left, leaving her behind with her thoughts again. She shook her head. She got pregnant so fast, so carelessly, and although she had a comfortable, wealthy life now, the 20-year-old Hera in a patch jean jacket and grunge choker boarding the plane to LA was such a different person. Old Hera, who was she? She started college late as a 20-year-old, deciding to take a year off after graduating high school to take care of her single mother until her gap year was over. Back then in college, she had fun times clubbing with her 5 roommates, bar hopping in LA and spotting celebrities like Brad Pitt on the street. Now, they were invited to Brad Pitt's annual Christmas party.

Hera eventually huffed and lied down on her large bed, giving up. She could finish packing tomorrow. She took her cell phone and texted all her friends the address of her mother's house, in case they wanted to write to her. Come to think of it, she hadn't talked to Hestia, Demeter, Hades, or Poseidon in months. Was she that isolated from the rest of the world? Since when did Zeus become her entire life? Last time she saw any of them, she had coffee with Hestia where she ended up breaking down to her about some affair Zeus had a few months back.

She got ready for bed, carefully smearing off her eye makeup despite the puffiness of her eyes from crying. She curled up in bed, hugging a pillow for physical comfort. Zeus and her started sleeping separately years before, but she liked the privacy. She yawned, letting a few tears drip silently.


	2. Two

Hera hugged each of her children individually as Zeus lugged her suitcases out of the trunk. "I'm gonna miss you, Mom," Hebe whispered in her ear. She was the youngest, a mere 14. Ares was less physically affectionate but he did hold on to her hug a few seconds longer than he usually did. Hephaestus wobbled over to her on his bad leg, hugging her. They returned to the car, and it was Zeus's turn to say his goodbye. He hugged her briefly and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Goodbye," he said.

"Goodbye," she said. A pang of panic sprung into his heart. For some reason, he had the sense that this might be the last he saw of her. He brushed it off as meaningless paranoia. He briefly considered saying farewell with a deeper kiss, but he was unsure if Hera was in the mood for being affectionate with him.

She tugged her luggage into LAX, leaving Zeus and her children behind.

111111111111

Stepping outside, Hera realized she was way too used to the LA heat. It was only 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the Saskatoon afternoon, while it was supposed to be 101 in California at the same time. She found the cabman she had scheduled, preparing for the overwhelming flood of emotions to return.

She stared out the window. Everything was so flat. There were barely any mountains in Saskatchewan. In LA, you could always see the sierra in the background of the sky. The Canadian prairies kept stretching on and on, continuing endlessly. The round straw bales were littered across the green grass. They passed a small lake with evergreen trees bordering it. The water was so clear, so cold. She was tempted to roll the window down and taste the fresh air.

By the time she arrived at Kneebone, she walked over to the nearby Canada post and bought some US-bound stamps. The postal clerk still worked there, now looking about 70 years old. She didn't bother telling him that she was Hera, Rhea's little girl who had been coming in since she could walk. Thankfully, no one seemed to recognize her. She quickly wrote a postcard to let Zeus and her children know that she arrived, and dropped it off to the postal clerk.

The evening was setting in when she started walking over to her old house. She took her time, counting every step on the way. It wasn't around the other houses in the neighborhoods. It was down a dirt road, a bit secluded from the rest of the town. She could see the dim light bulb in the living room. She knocked on the door, feeling her heart palpitating in anxiety. When no one answered the door, Hera peered through the window to see the silhouette of her mother, sitting completely still. She fished underneath the doormat for the key of the house, quietly opening the door not to startle her mother.

"Mom?" Hera scolded herself in her head. She forgot her mother was deaf for a moment. Had it really been that long? She remembered the ASL dictionary she had in her suitcase. It had been more than ten years since she signed to anyone. Hopefully it would all come back to her while she was in Kneebone.

Hera rolled her luggage in, setting it down next to the door. She was in the living room, and her mother was sitting blank-faced on the couch. Hera bent down in front of her and waved at her eyes. Rhea's pupils looked up, empty.

 _Mom?_ she signed. No response.

 _Mom, I am your daughter, Hera. Do you remember me?_ Again, no response.

 _Mom, please, I'm sorry. I didn't visit. Do you remember me?_ Rhea's eyes started to wander from Hera's face, looking around the room. Hera sighed, hoping that maybe she just didn't recognize her 40-year-old face.

 _Mom, I am H-E-R-A,_ fingerspelling clearly in front of her mother's eyes. _H-E-R-A, and you are R-H-E-A. I'm here to take care of you._ Hera stared, waiting for her mother to answer. Finally, she signed back.

 _Yes, you are right. I am R-H-E-A._ Hera smiled, until she continued. _And who are you?_

_Mom, I am H-E-R-A, your daughter. You gave birth to me in 1980, and I left our home in 2000, remember? I went to college in the USA, and I live in LA, remember?_

Her mother's eyes returned to their glossy state. _No, I do not remember._

Hera screamed. She could return to being as loud as she wanted now that she was back with her mother. _Well, I am your daughter, and I am here to take care of you._ No response. _Did you eat dinner?_

Rhea shook her head. Hera got up to go to the kitchen a few feet away. She felt a deepening shame creep in. All the signs were there. How could she not know? She felt tears spring out, letting out a loud sob. Back when Hebe was in middle school, her mother's letters started to become sporadic. She figured she just had less energy to write, or maybe the Canada Post or USPS was losing their mail in customs. She heard USPS was losing funding or something along those lines back then, but she didn't bother to check up on her by calling any of the people she knew in Kneebone. Now, she knew it was because her mother's dementia was starting. The past few years, people in the community were dropping food off at her doorstep when they heard she was struggling, but it was hard to find Hera, since she hadn't come back to Kneebone in years. She could already hear Mr. Walsh's voice in her head, "Remember Rhea's daughter? Yeah, that girl with the wavy hair? Dated that idiot, Ixion. She left when the century started, where is she now?" It was only a week ago when someone finally tracked Hera down to inform her that her mother was dying. Mr. Walsh had driven Rhea to the nearest psychiatrist an hour away, and the news was heartbreaking enough to find Hera.

Hera opened the fridge to find that nothing was in there. She had to get groceries the very next day. She opened the cabinet to see if anything non-perishable was there, finding an old stack of packaged emergency pemmican. She unwrapped it, handing it to her mother to eat.

 _Eat, Mom. It's --._ Was there even a word for pemmican? Hera decided to fingerspell it. There must've been one, but whatever it was, Hera wasn't going to remember it.

Rhea took a small bite, chewing slowly. Her eyes were clear, and it shamed Hera to think that it creeped her out a bit. She sat down next to her, hugging her and kissing her cheek. Rhea didn't do anything different, just continued chewing. Figuring her mother wasn't going to say anything, Hera got up and looked around her old house.

She could remember sitting on the same 50-year-old couch, listening to the radio for news. They didn't have any TV growing up. She had such a culture shock when she came to UCLA.

"Wait, Hera, you don't know what Friends is?" Demeter said, back in freshman year.

"Um, you mean like, having friends? Yeah, I do. I'd hope to think that you were my friend."

"I mean of course, but I'm talking about the TV show. You know, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox? Phoebe's my favorite character, she's hilarious!"

Hera shook her head. "I didn't have a TV growing up."

"Oh my god, you've probably passed by so many famous people on the street since getting here and you didn't even know! I chose UCLA because I absolutely love movies."

"Is there a connection between LA and movies? I chose UCLA because..." Because it was far away from Kneebone. "Because it's sunny."

"Hera! You've never heard of _Hollywood?_ Oh my goodness, I'm just so shocked right now." Everyone's chiding laughter made Hera a bit embarrassed, but once they introduced her to the classic films and soap operas, she couldn't stop watching. She watched every moment of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Futurama, Dawson's Creek, and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She must've seen Clueless, She's All That, Karate Kid, and the Truman Show a hundred times. She watched so much TV she almost let her grades slip to fail.

Hera couldn't watch any of her favorites now she was in Kneebone. She signed to her mother that she was going to walk around the house, not like her mother would understand. Anyways, she went into the kitchen to see her old cassette player on the ground, dusty and unused for 20 years. As a teenager, she made her own mixtapes on cassettes to blast during dinner. Sometimes when she rocked out, her mother demanded her to song-sign so she could understand the words too. Her gas stove still seemed to be working, and so was the refrigerator.

She went into her old bedroom. The twin bed was made, her quilt of barn animals left untouched. On her cabinet was an old pink box. Curious, Hera opened it, a flood of memories returning as she saw the contents. It was all her cassettes and CDs. There were also some Polaroids and photographs of her younger self. She pulled out a picture of when she was 19, dated May of '99. She was in her windbreaker suit. It was an aquamarine, purple, and fuchsia patterned windbreaker jacket with a pair of matching pants. Her jet black, wavy hair was tied up in a high ponytail, her teenage face smiling with genuine happiness. She took a picture of it with her phone before it ran out of battery. Perhaps she could find a place with weak WiFi to send the kids what she used to look like. They probably had no idea what Hera used to look like at their age.

Hera opened up her closet and gasped. The same exact windbreaker suit was hanging in her closet. Nobody had worn it in 20 years. She hastily grabbed it off the hanger and changed into it, letting loose her finger waves and tying it up into a ponytail to match herself in the '99 picture. She snapped a quick picture of herself to also send to the children, as a comparison picture. She went out of her room to check on her mother, if she had finished her food.

 _Mom, are you finished?_ Hera signed. Miraculously, Rhea looked up and locked eyes with her, smiling.

 _Hera, you came back. I missed you._ Hera let out a cry and stopped the tears from forming. _How is college? How are things with your new husband?_

Hera swore under her breath. At least things were getting better, but it seemed like Rhea was stuck in the 90's, seeing Hera wearing her old vintage clothing. She sighed. _Mom, today is 2020. Zeus and I married 17 years ago. I am here because I want to take care of you._

 _No, no, darling. That can't be right._ Rhea signed. _You're all confused._

_No mother, you are the one confused. I live in LA now. I have three children. I told you about them in my letters. Do you remember them?_

_Three children! You're only 23!_ Hera groaned. Maybe she'll get farther another day, it was almost night.

_Okay, Mom. Yes, things are going okay with him. I'm graduating college soon. Zeus and I are already looking for a place to live together._

_I'm glad that you're happy with your husband, Hera. Just be careful about the men you date. When I met your father, he promised to move in with me, but he lied. He said he wasn't going to stay with me in Kneebone, it was no place for him to live._ Hera felt a knot develop in her stomach. Her mother never talked about her father. All she knew was that his name was Kronos, he left when Rhea was pregnant with Hera, and thus she never met him. She felt more shame now learning that she was like her father. Leaving her mother behind in Kneebone, because she just couldn't stay. Two people she loved and trusted had abandoned her to fend for herself.

 _Tell me more about my father,_ Hera signed.

 _Well, he was so handsome. I was 38 when I gave birth to you. I was working as a waitress at a cafe that eventually got shut down. Your father was a customer. He took me out, and he said he was only passing by Kneebone. He promised to take me away, but I didn't want to leave my home, so he promised to stay. He left when I told him about you._ Rhea recited her story deadpanned, no noticeable emotion showing. _At that time, I was hard of hearing but if he shouted loud enough I could hear him. He could not sign. He got frustrated sometimes._

Hera sat waiting for her mother to continue, but she decided not to finish. It seemed like this was the most she could get out of her. _Okay, Mom, do you want to sleep now?_

Rhea nodded and Hera helped her up to lead her to her bedroom. Hera gasped when she entered. Almost every trinket Hera sent her over the 20 years was scattered on her night desk or hanging on the wall. A picture of her and Hades at a Third Eye Blind concert was tacked on the wall, as well as a picture of her, Hestia, and Demeter at the Griffith Observatory. A souvenir of Mickey Mouse from Disneyland was on her mother's night stand, along with a handful of other tourist souvenirs. A keychain that said "Hotel California" in reference to the Eagles song was next to Mickey, and postcards of her roadtrip with her friends up to San Francisco were stacked next to her lamp.

 _Hera, thank you so much for this postcard. How was your trip to San Francisco?_ Rhea asked, picking up a postcard of the Golden Gate Bridge, where Hera simply wrote "It's the Golden Gate bridge Mom!!!! :) Isn't that cool? Love you, your daughter xoxo."

 _It was good, Mom. I had lots of fun. We saw the bridge and ate Chinese food._ Hera couldn't remember what else they did in San Francisco. That was practically 18 years ago. _You should go to sleep now._ She tucked her mother in, kissing her on the forehead, and turning the lights off, only to let out a loud wail of sadness and the tears she had been holding back to come rushing out.


	3. Three

Zeus fixed up his tie and wiped off the red lipstick from his neck. A young blonde woman was still naked in his bed, looking if her nail polish chipped off anywhere. "I won't tell your wife."

"Why would you?"

"Just in case you were worried about that."

"Don't worry, I wasn't. Hera has a fury like no other." He combed his hair back, making sure that nothing was out of sorts. "My children will be coming back from school soon, so you should probably get going."

"Whatever you say, boss man." The woman got up to put her clothes back on, sauntering over briefly and kissed him on the cheek. This time there was no more lipstick left to wipe off.

"My chauffeur out front will drive you back home." She didn't bother responding to him as she walked out the room. Thank goodness she wasn't the emotional commitment type.

Zeus sat back down on the bed, alone now. A maid knocked on the door, motioning if Zeus would like her to wash the sheets for him. He waved her over, and he stood patiently as she gathered the sheets up in a bin to wash.

It had been about 8 days since Hera left. The first week, it wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. He bedded many women, enjoyed it, and continued work like it was nothing. Now that the second week was starting, a disturbing feeling started to creep in. It was a feeling that he didn't think he'd felt before. It was like a heavy pang in his chest, or a pressure on his body that he couldn't get rid of. He had a terrible suspicion that it was "missing someone." The children were holding up a bit better. Well, not Hebe. She was awfully close to Hera, and she spent some nights crying. Ares and Hephaestus however seemed to be dealing with it fine.

The good thing was that this disturbing feeling was fleeting. He only felt it a few minutes throughout the day, or before going to sleep. It was a Sunday afternoon when he was peacefully eating lunch when Hebe came bouncing through. "Oh my god, the mail is here! And guess what, Mom's letter is in it." Hebe aggressively opened the letter that was dated about a week ago, pulling out two separate bundles of papers. One folded bunch was titled "Dear ZEUS:" and the other "Dear CHILDREN:"

Zeus hadn't written a personal letter since maybe 2006, but the children seemed a bit more excited to participate in something so "quaint," as they called it. Zeus was shocked to find droplets of dried tears on his paper. Hera stopped crying in front of him for years.

"Dear Zeus, I'm safe and sound in my mother's house now. She eats, goes to the bathroom, and sleeps, but oftentimes she doesn't remember who I am. I've tried signing to her sometimes, but she doesn't respond. A few days ago, she recognized me as my younger self. She thought we had just gotten married earlier the year. I don't know how exactly to show her that I'm 40 now. Her dementia is worse than I thought, and sometimes she just sits on the couch and stares at the wall for hours without moving. I have to cook all her meals for her, and it's very boring here. It's reminding me why I left in the first place. I love my mother, but I remember feeling so trapped here with no opportunity or life for me. Please write to me about any significant news, the Canadian newspaper doesn't really talk about anything outside of Saskatchewan, and the radio I used to listen to for news has been broken for decades.

"I really miss you. I don't usually say it in person, but I feel more comfortable talking about my emotions on paper. I don't know for how long I'll have to be here in Saskatchewan. I'm sorry we had that fight before I left. Anyways, here are some pictures I took of the landscape. Beautiful, isn't it? Too bad it's so rural. All the food here is bland. I miss tacos and the sushi place we always go to. I had pemmican for the first time in years. It's this First Nations food of dried meat and fat and berries pounded together into some kind of paste. It's pretty good, you definitely can't find that in California.

"Anyways, write back soon. Give the children a hug and don't forget to feed them. I would tell you not to cheat on me while I'm gone, but you've probably already done that and you wouldn't listen to what I say anyways. Take care.

Love you, Hera"

Zeus felt disappointed that she couldn't possibly say those words "love you" or "I miss you" out loud to him, but he probably hadn't said that to her in years as well. He flipped through the envelope to find some pictures developed at a photo store. There was a picture of a pristine lake, and on the back Hera wrote "Used to go fishing here with my mom as a child." (Hera didn't bother to mention how this was also the lake where she and her high school boyfriend went skinny dipping. That detail was probably best kept to herself.) A second picture was a picture of her mother's house. Thank God he wasn't staying at that dingy house, Zeus thought. A third was of a branch of deep purple saskatoon berries hanging off a bush. Written on the back was "Ate these saskatoon berries all the time, went berry picking with my childhood friends in the woods."

Zeus absentmindedly yelled for the kids to give their letters to him when they were done. He got up to go to his office after finishing his dinner. He booted his computer up, ready to start typing his letter to her.

"Dear Hera,

The kids are doing fine. Ares is still rotting his brain from playing those violent gun games all day, and Hephaestus is doing some event thing for his robotics team over the weekend. Hebe keeps talking about that TV show she watches all the time, Gray Anatomy or whatever. God, when will it end? It's hot in LA so we're planning on going to Venice beach next week.

Hope things get better with your mom. I'm sending a check with this letter so you could buy more things for her. I completely forgot you didn't have a TV growing up. That sucks. What do you even do to pass the time? Do you just read?? Did you reconnect with any old friends over at Kneebone?

Anyways, I miss you too. Tell me if anything happens with your mom. And send me anything cool from Kneebone.  
Love you too, Zeus."

He felt a little bit guilty that his letter was so short in comparison to hers, but he really had nothing else to say. The most eventful thing that happened was a one night stand he had recently, but for obvious reasons he wouldn't mention that. He grabbed the USPS money order form he had bought earlier and filled it out to transfer the maximum amount of money possible. The dreaded emotion crept back into his chest. He tried flicking his temple with his finger to distract himself from the emotional pain. Ugh, ridiculous. He didn't think she had so much control over him. At least he wasn't bawling his eyes out like Hebe. When he saw her like that, he comforted her in his hugs but he internally thanked God that he wasn't breaking down like that. He couldn't possibly imagine his life like that.

Unfortunately for him, every week felt like it was getting closer and closer to Hebe's state. Well she was much worse, but he was starting to empathize more. He wasn't going to cry though, no no no. But it was disturbing him how he wanted to stay in bed most of the day. Even more alarming, the thrill of bedding other women was diminishing. Poseidon had suggested to him years ago that Zeus only liked cheating because he enjoyed having adventures with the possibility of returning to stability with Hera. Perhaps Poseidon was onto something, now that Hera had been away for almost a month. Although her letters were deep-hearted, he was starting to forget the sound of her voice. Her vocal pitch and sarcastic intonation were becoming muddy in his memory. She was nicer in her letters, which was great but it also bothered him since he was so used to hearing her chiding remarks and deadpan sarcasm. She was becoming a different person and returning to the somewhat shy, tenderhearted woman he first met in college.

She continued to send pictures of Kneebone. She sent back a precious baby picture of her from 1983, which was shocking to him and the children because Hera never had childhood pictures of herself. She always said that they were all lost or back in Canada and didn't want to bother her mother to send all of them here.

When August finally came, Zeus couldn't take it anymore. The children were adjusting, but as they got better Zeus got worse. He finally wrote to Hera in a desperate letter asking for something he would've dreaded a month before.

"Dear Hera,

It's been a whole month since you left for Kneebone and we're apart for no end in sight. I know you said your mother's house was small and almost falling apart, but what if I came to Kneebone? Bring the kids with me so they can finally meet their grandmother? They miss you a lot too, and they're getting curious about her. Their school hasn't started yet, and if they want to come I'd like them to visit before it starts snowing. We can stay for just two weeks, maybe even three. I'd also like to see Rhea again, I haven't seen her since our wedding and I want to see why you hate Kneebone so badly. It can't be that horrible. I'll bring my laptop and I can buy a bunch of movies that you want to see so we don't need the Internet. We can all be together again as a family under one roof. It would be a nice breather to see the nature and be close together. Please answer back soon.

I love you, Zeus."

He set aside his fear that maybe she was secretly enjoying her time in Kneebone because she was miles apart from him, but he figured it was time to set his soul bare. He couldn't let her roam around Canada by herself. Imagine all the handsome, rugged farmhands she could meet on the street or bump into at the supermarket. And what if she needed a stronger man to lug all the groceries back home? Perfect opportunity for those farmhands to walk her home. If Zeus was there, he could help carry her paper bags home. And what if she trips and falls, spraining her ankle? She'd need someone to carry her to a doctor.

More selfishly, Zeus knew it was for his own sanity. He had just accepted that maybe he missed her, and he actually took her presence at home for granted, even though they barely touched. If it meant that he had to give up all the pleasures and privileges he had in his LA mansion, Zeus would still move in with Hera and his mother-in-law. It took a month, but Zeus was ready.


	4. Four

Hera rearranged the pillows on the couch, scooching her mother a little to the side so she could fluff up another pillow. Tonight at 11 PM, Zeus and her children were arriving at Kneebone. A week ago, Zeus asked her in a letter if he could come. Now that her children were on board, she decided that it was time. She already explained to them that there would be no Internet, no TV, barely any electricity, and they all had to sleep in Hera's childhood bedroom. She instructed everyone to learn the basics of ASL, such as signing their name and asking basic questions. Their fancy clothes were not permitted since the washer and dryer broke down years ago, so all clothes had to be washed in a bin with soap and hung on a clothesline. Oh, and it was cold. Regardless, Zeus booked the earliest flight to Saskatoon to see her as soon as possible.

Hera was nervous meeting Zeus again. Realistically, any couple would be delighted to be reunited with their loved one after days physically apart, but she wasn't ready to see him. She wasn't sure if she should return to her sassy queen behavior, or try out a new thing and show verbal affection like in her letters. If they had petty fights again, the children would definitely hear every word and derisive scoff through the walls. Before, Hera had countless screaming matches with Ixion since Rhea couldn't hear, but it was different now. So many things could go awry on this trip, and adding this to the stress of mother's situation, Hera would explode.

Zeus did seem to truly miss her though. A few weeks ago he almost begged in a letter for her to call him because he missed her voice so much. She used a payphone at a disgusting truck stop and talked with him for about an hour, then talked to the children. Unbeknownst to Zeus, she occasionally called her children and talked on the phone when she could. The letters to them were just for show, or stories about her childhood she wanted them to keep on paper. The thought of talking to Zeus for hours on end terrified her. Pouring her heart out to him was too uncomfortable for her, and for now she could only do it a little bit through writing. The comfort of being emotionally vulnerable with him only existed in the early years of their marriage, and rebuilding it sounded like too much risk for her.

Overall, Zeus hadn't picked many fights with her. It was difficult to do so in letters anyways, but the only time he was angry at her was when she sent him some tasteful Polaroid nudes of her at 20. They were taken right before she left Kneebone. She thought it would be amusing for him to see her younger body, but his reaction was the opposite she expected. Zeus being the jealous overreactor demanded to know who took those pictures and got to see her naked, but it seemed he got over it by himself in LA. As if he had the right to be jealous. Looking back, Hera assigned a little bit of the blame on herself. She'd known Zeus for years and should've known what would've peeved him off.

After Hera fluffed up the pillows for a second time, she went ahead and dusted everything in sight. She must have circled the living room five times because Rhea gave a yelp to catch her attention, and said _Hera, why are you so nervous? It's okay. Everything is fine._

Hera set down the duster and kneeled in front of her mother. _Mom, four important people are coming today. My husband and my three children._

Hera had put on makeup for the first time in weeks. Her waves were tied up in a ponytail and she was wearing the windbreaker suit along with her signature star dangle earrings from her younger days. Whenever Hera wore her old clothes, Rhea remembered more and more, but it was hard to have her connect to present-day Hera. One day, Hera showed her a letter Rhea had written her 14 years prior to jog her memory. She brought it to Kneebone in case she would need it. _Mom, it says here that you wrote this. This is your handwriting. It says here "I am so happy to hear about your third child, a daughter. I always wanted a granddaughter. Hebe is such a beautiful name, I will cherish this photograph you gave me forever." Hebe is 14 now. You wrote this when she was just born. She will be coming soon, so you get to see her._ Rhea replied that Hebe was indeed a beautiful name, and she couldn't wait to meet her. On some days, Hera's 90s attire didn't do much to help Rhea's memory, but those kinds of days were rare. It seemed like today was a good day. Rhea knew Hera's name, and she said she was excited for the big day. Hera prayed that her mother could keep this up till the nighttime.

After dusting the living room lamp just one last time, Hera decided she needed a brief walk to clear her mind. She signed to her mother that she was leaving, and grabbing her water bottle, she left the house to walk to the cafe for some coffee. Living there for a month, Hera did end up bumping into lots of old acquaintances she didn't want to interact with. They were friendly, but she just wanted to be left alone. The waitress at the cafe was an old classmate, Lisa. They were never hostile to each other, and all she knew about Lisa was that she got pregnant in senior year. Most people in town knew that Hera was back. The only person she didn't want to see at all was her high school boyfriend, Ixion. It was a miracle how she hadn't seen him yet in this small town.

By the time Hera finished her coffee and walked about three loops around the entire town, the sun was starting to set. She went home and baked a saskatoon berry pie, in case Zeus and the kids were hungry after their flight. After their dinner, Rhea returned to sitting on the living room couch, staring into space for hours. Hera tried anything to calm her leaping heartbeat, waiting impatiently till the clock struck 11.

It was 11:20 and now she was getting anxious that something had happened to them on the way there. Just as she was about to curl into a fetal position on the couch, she heard a doorknock outside. She took three deep breaths before walking over to the door. When she opened it, Zeus caught her by surprise by leaning in immediately for an intimate kiss, almost knocking her to the ground with his step forward.

"Mom!" Hebe pushed her father off by squeezing in between and attacking Hera with a hug. "I missed you so much!" Hera kissed Hebe on the cheek and whimpered in her ear, running her fingers through Hebe's long hair. Ares and Hephaestus waited patiently for Hebe to finish her hug, then hugged Hera at the same time. Zeus felt mildly jealous that his children got to feel her warm embrace, but he knew that was a stupid reaction, so he closed the door behind him and hanged his coat.

"Okay kids, I think your mother wants you to meet your grandmother." Hera gave a genuine smile, and led her family to the living room couch. She waved her hand in front of her to catch her attention.

_"Mom, the important people came. This is my family,"_ Hera signed as she spoke out loud so the rest could hear. Hera felt panic when Rhea gave no response.

_"Mom, do you remember me? I'm your daughter H-E-R-A."_ Rhea's glossy eyes became more blank as the seconds passed. Hera dug her nails into her palm so deep she could've drawn blood if she wanted to. She heard Ares whisper to Hephaestus, "This is so depressing."

"Shh!" Hera belligerently shushed. More for her own sake. This of all days was so important, and of course the world was playing a cruel trick on her.

_"Mom, I am H-E-R-A. I am your daughter."_ She got up and grabbed Zeus's shoulders, signing to Rhea _"This is my husband, Z-E-U-S."_ She then walked over to her children and said, _"This is my daughter H-E-B-E. This is my oldest son A-R-E-S and this is my youngest son H-E-P-H."_ She figured fingerspelling Hephaestus's name would be a pain in the ass for everyone.

Hephaestus could feel his mother's nails sink into his shoulders as her panic set in. "It's okay, Mom. Maybe she's just tired." Hera instantly gave a bloodcurdling scream, which shocked Zeus and the children until their bulging eyes could jump out. Zeus rushed to her side and started massaging her shoulders.

"Hey hey, take a deep breath, it'll be fine." She brushed his hands off her shoulder and rushed to her mother, kneeling down in front of her.

_"Mom, this is my family. I am your daughter. He is my husband. They are your grandchildren."_ Rhea's posture slumped, her eyes lowering to the ground. This signaled that she was completely clocked out. Hera sighed but refused to let her tears come out. She brushed her knees and said, "Some days are better."

Ares volunteered a comforting hug, which was unlike him, and the rest of her children joined. Zeus stayed back, looking down with his hands in his pockets, because he didn't want to interrupt this mother-children moment.

Hebe kissed her mother's cheek and suggested that they settle in. They all dragged their suitcases toward the bedroom, ready to sleep in. The children agreed to sleep in sleeping bags and a memory foam mattress topper they bought in Saskatoon. Ares was sleeping on the couch. When everything was set up and Rhea was put to bed, Zeus gingerly placed his hand on Hera's waist and said, "Walk with me."

She nodded, grabbing some mittens and earmuffs. This was the moment she dreaded. What could he possibly say to her? He grabbed his trench coat and stepped out in the chilly night. There was a waning moon with millions of visible stars in the pitch black sky. He could hear the crickets chirping, which was rare in LA. Hera led him to the back of the house, where there was a field of dewy green grass that led to a meadow of marsh marigolds.

"The nature's beautiful here."

"You can't see anything."

"Well, I'm assuming it is." Zeus looked up to the sky and stared at the stars. "You can't see stars like this in LA." Hera shook her head in response. Is this what they were going to talk about? She wanted this to end so badly. "I'm sure tomorrow morning your mom will be better. We got here late anyways." She nodded her head silently. "You're awfully quiet tonight."

"Do we usually talk?"

"You were chatty in your letters."

"Well, that was writing." Zeus snaked his arm around her shoulder and kissed her tenderly on the cheek. "You didn't cheat on me while I was away, did you?"

"No," Zeus lied. He didn't flinch from her question. He had perfected his poker face years ago.

"I know you're lying."

"I missed you." Hera rested her head against his shoulder in response.

"I really should stop asking questions that I know will hurt." Zeus's heart beat a little faster. They stood in silence as they listened to the crickets.

"I wasn't lying about missing you though. I really did."

"I could tell from your letters. You sounded really desperate." Zeus raised an eyebrow.

"I sounded desperate?" She nodded. "Okay, missy. Maybe I took for granted your company. The house seemed really lonely without you." She furrowed her brow. He was so poignant. She didn't have the ability to match his vulnerability right now.

"I missed you too, Zeus." He kissed her temple. "I've been thinking about our college days. Things were easier back then."

"College?" He looked up. "That was so long ago. Why are you thinking about it now?"

"It has everything to do with Kneebone. Did you know I chose UCLA because it was the college farthest away from here?"

"You might have mentioned it once." Hera muttered it to Zeus after drunk sex in sophomore year. He figured it was a touchy subject, so he never pressed for more details.

"Well, I came to LA and life was so much better for me. And then I met you and all our friends, and I had the kids but I left behind my mother."

"Life here can't be that bad. At least it's pretty."

"Yeah, it's pretty, but living here your whole life is different. Everyone knows you, and you can never escape your past." Hera could hear the ridicule in her memories. Her schoolmates shouting ableist slurs at her mother when they walked down the street, which only Hera could hear. Or laughing at her whenever she was forced to song-sign for her mother in the audience at choir performances. Worse was high school when word got out that she was dating Ixion. "Hey Hera, this is a sign, right?" A boy made a hole with his index finger and thumb, sticking his other index finger in for penetrative sex. "Hera's a *that gesture*" whenever they passed by her. Still, Hera thought, all those things weren't excuses for her to leave.

"Well, we had lots of fun in college, right? Remember when Poseidon got shit-faced and fell off his skateboard when he tried to do that flip?" Hera giggled. Poseidon was so silly. He had his act together now, though. He married his wife Amphitrite 8 years ago.

"Remember when we all went to Santa Monica and Poseidon tried to convince Hestia to go into the water? And she got so sad when she stepped on that sand crab?" Hera nuzzled her face into his shoulder. "You thought those things were so disgusting, you refused to hold one."

"Because they try to burrow and they scratch your skin! It was creepy," she said.

"You're like a hundred times bigger than it," he chuckled. "Then we all went clubbing later that night. And we had sex for the first time when we got home."

Hera nodded against his shoulder. He kissed her neck, his scruff lightly scratching her skin. It ignited a warmth in between her legs. "By that time, I think I was already falling for you. Everyone said we were too close to be 'just friends.'"

"You made the first move."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "You're remembering things wrong, you made the first move. You said you were 'so worried that I was too drunk' so you helped me to bed, and then you kissed me. We didn't even drink that night!"

He laughed. "Okay, maybe that was a little stupid. But you didn't correct me, you played along." He looked down to kiss Hera passionately, pressing his body against hers. Hera was willing to admit to herself that she was craving sex. It had been about a month since she fucked.

111111111111

Hera zipped her suit back up while Zeus put on his trench coat. She fanned her clothes to get rid of the sex smell before going back into the house. She wiped the remaining sweat off her face with her sleeve when Zeus wrapped his arm around her to take her back into the house.

They crept back in quietly and closed the door behind them. It was now 1 in the morning. They tiptoed past Ares who was already snoring on the couch and found their other two children asleep in their room. They slid into bed quietly and committed to showering tomorrow morning. 

"Tomorrow you can show me around. I wanna see exactly why you hate this place so much."

"I never said I hated it."

"Definitely implied it."

"It's much more complicated than that. I just convinced myself that I didn't want to come back here. I'm sure things have changed in 20 years."

"Can you please shut up?" Hephaestus muttered. Zeus rolled his eyes and tucked himself into the blankets before shutting his eyes.


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jumper by Third Eye Blind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRYZijLZR-Q&feature=emb_title  
> Ironic by Alanis Morissette: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc&feature=emb_title  
> Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC3y9llDXuM&feature=emb_title

Hera covered the second porkchop in flour and egg before placing it into the pan. Hebe had asked earlier if she could help make brunch, but she got scared of the hot oil that sputtered out of the pan. She decided to quit before doing anything and went outside to see the view. Ares was still fast asleep and Hephaestus was reading a book about neural networks. Hera left Zeus in bed with his light snoring and started making brunch because she was hungry herself. Rhea was still snoozing, but Hera prepared to help her get up after she was done cooking.

"Shit," she muttered. She was reading the 50-year-old cookbook that her mother had for decades. When she first got here, she realized that so much of her past life was relinquished. She had to figure out how to cook again. In high school, she could do practically anything from memory. She didn't need measurements to make the perfect food, but she was now struggling with understanding some of the basic directions. Her cooks in LA did everything for her. She had to make saskatoon berry pie at least 5 times over the past month to perfect it for yesterday. Hera flinched when a droplet of sizzling oil landed on her finger.

She swore again and somehow managed to flip the oversized piece of meat over in the pan. She jumped when she heard Zeus say behind her, "Since when was the last time you cooked a whole meal?"

"Probably years ago. I used to cook all the time when I was living with my mom." He walked over with his hands in his pockets and let out an embarrassing yelp when a drop of oil hopped out.

"This is dangerous, this whole kitchen is dangerous." He pulled out the fridge a jar of prairie cherry jam and spread it over a piece of bread. "I had fun last night."

"Mm-hmm." Embarrassed, Hera acknowledged his statement but pretended to not pay him her full attention. Finally finished with the first porkchop, she slid it awkwardly from the pan onto a plate.

"So where to today? What exciting adventure do you have planned for me?" Hera rolled her eyes.

"Let's see if my mother remembers you and the kids at lunch today. We can go to the lake later too." She gave him a 'what the fuck' look when he started wheezing and coughing. The cherry jam outlined his lips like bright red lipstick.

"Oh my god, why is this jam so sour?!" He gagged a bit more when he licked his lips.

"Prairie cherry is supposed to be sour," rolling her eyes again. He placed the bread on the counter and pulled out a jug of a vibrant magenta-colored juice. After taking one sip, he coughed again. "That's bilberry lemonade, by the way."

"Is there anything else that I can have in this house?"

Hera pulled the saskatoon berry pie, untouched, and placed a slice into the toaster oven to heat up. "Meanwhile, you can help by chopping some of these carrots and lettuce." She pointed to the cutting board. This time, it was Zeus's turn to roll his eyes.

"Yes, your highness." Hera placed in the fourth porkchop and snickered when she listened to the awkward thumping of the knife.

"Having any trouble there?"

"Ha, obviously not. I mean, they're just vegetables." She peeked over her shoulder to see that Zeus was struggling even holding the vegetables. Hebe came bouncing back in, having seen the backyard.

"This is the first time in my life that I've ever seen a meadow." She placed a bundle of picked wildflowers on the table and hopped next to Hera. "Are you almost done? I'm starving."

"Go help your father chop the vegetables. He's not doing so great."

"Hey! I'm trying. The carrots are tough." Not much progress had been done.

"But Mom, it's not like I'm going to eat the vegetables anyways." Hera gave Hebe an admonishing look, and she groaned in response. "Dad, this is so horrible. Do you even call this chopping?" He grunted. None of the women in this household gave him respect.

Hera finally finished the six porkchops and dumped the chopped vegetables (which Hebe mostly did) into the remaining oil. She instructed Hebe to watch the vegetables, and Hera went to her mother's bedroom to get her ready. By the time Hera walked Rhea over, Zeus and Hebe were done setting up the table.

Ares and Hephaestus came in lured by the smell of food. Hephaestus pulled out a chair near the wall when he gasped. "Oh my god, this is so cool!" He picked up the dusty cassette player that had been untouched for decades. Hephaestus absolutely adored machinery and engineering.

"Oh, that old thing? I used to listen to it all the time when I was your age."

"It's just so vintage! It's amazing! I don't think I've ever touched a cassette before in my life."

Hera snorted. That, cool? It was a hunk of garbage. "I'm not even sure if it works anymore."

"Can we try it?" Hera gave a wry look but searched through the kitchen drawer for the batteries she bought a few weeks ago. She placed the batteries in.

"Let's see here, I think we have to press this button--" The cassette player's lid popped open, stirring up a cloud of dust that made Hera cough briefly. "Huh, I guess I was listening to something the last time I used it." A cassette tape marked "GRUNGE/ALT" was lodged inside.

"Wow Mom, you were a rocker."

"Yes, believe it or not, I was a normal teenager at one point."

Behind them, Rhea vocalized a yelp, signing to Hera that she was hungry and wanted her food. She grabbed her a fork and knife and set it next to her. Hera chose the seat right across the table from Rhea so she could see her clearly when she signed. _"Mom, I want you to meet some important people today."_

 _Not right now, I want to eat._ Well there wasn't much Hera could do about that. She sighed, defeated, and went back to eating. By then, Hephaestus figured out how to play the cassette. "Jumper" by Third Eye Blind started to blast out at max volume. All of a sudden, a flood of memories from high school and college came back to Hera, some that she thought she completely forgot. She could now vividly remember throwing beer bottles at her high school's brick wall to this song, or making out with Hades at the Third Eye Blind concert. (They both decided that it was dumb and swore never to mention this to anyone.) Rhea could tell from the way Hera's head bobbed, the nostalgia on her face, and the vibrations of the bass in her bones that they were listening to music.

 _What's playing?_ she asked.

_"Jumper by Third Eye Blind."_

_Ironic is next, yes?_

Hera was taken aback. Even she didn't remember the playlist order, and she played this cassette at least twice a week. Maybe this was one of her mother's excellent days, her memory remembering details that even Hera had forgotten.

_"Yes, it's Ironic by A-L-A-N-I-S M-O-R-I-S-S-E-T-T-E."_

_Please sign it for me, Hera. I want to see the words._

Hera nodded. She heard the slow guitar intro for "Ironic" and began signing in Pidgin Signed English for her mother, mouthing the lyrics along. She made sure to show the facial expressions too. Hebe, Hephaestus, and Ares were a little shocked to see their mother show so much exaggerated emotion on her face. She usually didn't like expressing such solemn feelings.

Rhea didn't press for Hera to sign the next song, "Teenage Dirtbag," which was great because Hera couldn't remember the sign for teenage and she also wanted to eat her food. Rhea turned to Hebe, who was sitting next to her and signed, _Do you like this song?_

"Mom, what is she saying?"

"She asked if you liked the song that's playing."

Ah. Hebe pondered for a little bit. "Can you tell her that I like how it has a unique storyline, but the electric guitars are a little too noisy for me because I like more lowkey, lo-fi beats."

Hera stared blankly at her in silence for a moment then signed to Rhea _she says yes._

"That looked awfully short for everything I said," Hebe retorted.

Rhea turned to Hebe and signed _Are you the granddaughter I'm supposed to meet?_ Hera clattered her fork in a frenzy. This was the moment she was waiting for.

_"Mom, do you remember me?"_

_Of course I do, you're my daughter, silly._

_"Okay. She is my daughter. Her name is H-E-B-E."_ Rhea turned to her and smiled, lightly touching her cheek.

 _You look so beautiful, like your mother when she was young._ Hebe smiled. She had no idea what her grandmother just told her, but she knew it was genuine. Rhea then turned to her other side, where Hephaestus was. _And are you Ares or Heph?_

Hephaestus awkwardly fingerspelled his name, but Rhea understood. _You're so handsome, just like your grandfather._ When it was Ares' turn, he bounced out his seat and hopped in front of her. 

"Ooh ooh, let me try." He tried fingerspelling his name, but ultimately blundered.

"You just told her your name was Arba."

Ares cussed, and Hera took it upon herself to sign for him. Rhea smiled and signed _what a strong man you are._

Hera turned to Zeus, observing if he was ready to introduce himself. He felt out of place. He was in no way blood-related to Rhea, and he wondered if Rhea held any resentment towards him. Zeus could guess that Hera had expressed her heartbreak vividly to her mother in past letters.

 _"Mom, his name is Z-E-U-S. He's my husband."_ Hera got up and stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders. Rhea nodded her head, but signed something to Hera. His wife nodded and started conversing with her without speaking out loud, which perplexed Zeus.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing of importance." Hera sat back down, but Zeus could tell the atmosphere had changed. Knowing Hera, she ignored it and immediately put on a smile that only Zeus could tell was fake. "I'm so happy that you kids got to meet your grandmother and she said she loves you all, but she wants to finish her food now. Make sure to keep learning your ASL if you want to talk to her." She eyed Ares specifically.

After finishing brunch, everyone put their plates in the sink for Hera ("of course," she rolled her eyes when she saw the pile) to wash later. The kids said they wanted to stay behind to hang out with their grandmother and explore the house, check out Hera's old belongings and whatnot. They were always adventurous. She remembered when they used to have their little exploration games in their mansion, and they always found something Hera thought she'd lost years ago. Thank God she sent Zeus her nudes earlier that month. She would've died of embarrassment if they found it.

Hera and Zeus decided to visit the lake, as she promised. He was a bit annoyed that they had to walk, but it wasn't far from the house. On the way there Zeus could feel an emotional distance that penetrated them. He had his hands in his pockets, hers as well. Hand holding was a thing of the past for them. He could tell that Hera didn't feel like it anyways. The couple walked by the wildflower meadow and past a small hill, Zeus could see a beautiful lake with deep blue waves. It really wasn't that big of a lake. In Canada, it was probably considered a large pond, but Zeus's Californian self never saw many lakes around. A few ducks were scattered on the other side of the water, as well as some evergreen trees far off in the distance. The grass was a lovely shade of green which was strange for him since this time of the year, LA's plants were all a dry straw-brown.

"So you went fishing here as a kid?"

Hera nodded absentmindedly. "Not sure if there are a lot of fish left, but when I was younger, yes." She crouched down and felt some of the dewy grass. "I don't know if I hate this place or not." Zeus's eyebrows raised in surprise. Looks like she wanted to continue the conversation that Hephaestus interrupted last night. "It's complicated. You could never understand the whirlwind of emotions I have for Kneebone."

"If you tell me, maybe I'll understand more." He could see her body tense. After a moment of aching silence, Hera got back up.

"I'll show you the berry bushes." She walked away, expecting him to follow her, which he did. He debated whether or not to pull some more information out of her. How was he supposed to talk to her if she kept bringing up something that she didn't want to elaborate on? As they walked away from the lake towards some of the trees, he could see ruby-like cherries hanging from the branches. She plucked one tenderly, brushed off the dirt, and popped it into her mouth. Zeus made a quick face of discomfort.

"I loved prairie cherries. Or sour cherries, whatever they're called. I used to eat these all the time after school. I came here and just brought them home. And I would pick the saskatoon berries from there," she pointed at some of the shrubs. "These are some of the things I liked about Kneebone."

"What are some of the things that you hated about Kneebone?"

"The isolation, the bigotry, the solitude, lots of things." Hera mainly mused to herself as she plucked more cherries.

Huh, bigotry. He expected her to hate it for the rural location, but it sounded like some other things happened. There were lots about Hera that he didn't know, even after all these years of marriage. "Care to elaborate?" He kissed her cheek from behind, wrapping his arms around his waist. He could feel her body stiffen, but it melted away in due time.

Hera turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. She began planting small kisses along his jaw and trailed her hands down his chest, her fingers fluttering where his nipples were. Well, now he was turned on, but Zeus could tell she was seducing him to avoid answering his questions. He contemplated taking her hands off him and continuing the conversation, but her hands had already slipped down his torso to his groin where she grabbed his crotch. He groaned. Well, they went too far to turn back now. He figured this conversation could continue another day. Zeus engulfed her in an intense kiss filled with passion. Hera was momentarily taken aback but her lips softened and matched his tempo. At least this would shed some hours off till they had to return home.


	6. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hII0JXUJNDo&feature=emb_title  
> Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/250860312/write/993938248  
> Torn by Natalie Imbruglia: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/250860312/write/993939310  
> Linger by the Cranberries: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/250860312/write/993939932

Zeus and the children had stayed at Kneebone for about two weeks now. Their trip was supposed to last a whole month, and half of their time was already up. The children were getting antsy. Ares, Hebe, and Hephaestus had done everything remotely exciting in Kneebone. They already tried fishing (hated it), hiking (there weren't any mountains to go up anyways), and berry picking ("ew! ew! There are bugs everywhere!"). Most days they just took care of their grandmother or slept.

Zeus was getting antsy too. Not only that, Hera wasn't opening up to him and he had to witness some very awkward moments. Last week, Zeus helped Hera with the grocery shopping and a certain individual Hera seemed to dislike was also at the store.

"Hera!" Zeus saw her shoulders slump in discomfort. "Hera! Hera!" An unattractive man about their age with a blonde mustache and a greasy cap was shouting down the aisle. "Heraaa!" Man, this guy can't take a hint, Zeus thought. Hera slowly turned around and offered him a very obvious fake smile.

"Oh my goodness, Ixion! What a...surprise." Hera offered her high-pitched, cheery voice but by the time she finished her sentence, she lost the motivation to keep up the facade and dropped her voice to a blunt tone. "Didn't think I'd see you here."

Ixion stepped over to them. "Heard you were back in town, I was waiting to bump into you! We left things unfinished, am I right?" he winked. Zeus put a protective arm around Hera's waist and pulled her closer. Ixion noticed.

"Um, Ixion, this is my husband Zeus. Zeus, this is a my...ex-boyfriend, from high school."

Ixion chuckled. "Wow, I can't compete with this guy, look at that suit he's wearing!" He pointed a finger at the tan-colored suit.

"Um, it's nice to meet you, Ixion." Zeus shook his hand and subtly wiped his hand on his clothes.

"So, Hera, I heard you're some big shot LA girl now. Can't stick around for good ol' Kneebone?" Hera shook her head silently, and Zeus took it as a cue.

"Sorry, Ixion, but we have a busy day ahead of us and we'd like to just get our food and go." Before waiting for a response, Zeus walked her away from him. Usually, Zeus would feel a bit jealous if he met one of Hera's past lovers, but it appeared that she blatantly disliked Ixion, and there was nothing to worry about. He was extremely curious about their relationship in high school, so add that to another list of things Zeus wanted to ask her about.

Rhea's dementia was advancing rapidly. Everyone could tell. A doctor recommended to Hera that playing music can evoke a response from dementia patients, but of course, Rhea was deaf so that idea wasn't so promising. Nevertheless, Hera took it upon herself to sign all the songs that Rhea would most likely remember.

Today, everyone was eating to "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. Hebe wanted to choose the music today, and she chose the soft rock tape ("Mom, how could you listen to loud rock like that every day?"). Maybe the kids were more oblivious, but Zeus could tell that Hera was on edge every day. A subtle stress lined her features, but she did a good job of hiding it. Everyone was already done with half of their food, except for Hera and Rhea. Hera, because she was signing every lyric and didn't have time to pick up her fork, and Rhea because she wasn't eating.

This was exactly what Hera feared. She knew that the inability to swallow was a sign of the final stages of dementia. Rhea used to eat two meals a day, and gradually she just got down to one. Her heart lurched at the thought of her mother dying a painful, hungry death. Rhea was signing maybe four or five sentences a day now. Sometimes a bit more if Hera really tried. On some days, if she helped her mother pick up her food, Rhea could eat, but today was not one of those days.

The song switched to "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb, which didn't do much for Hera's mood because it was a depressing song and she was eating a depressing dinner. Her mother's eyes were trained on her, so she'd like to think that Rhea was actually paying attention to what she was signing. Zeus and the kids were watching her, probably intrigued by how fast Hera could sign.

Ares knew he was pretty clueless, but even he had the suspicion that things might get super depressing in the next few weeks. He loved his mother, yes, but watching her sign made her seem like a stranger. Her French tip fingernails glistened in the ceiling light as she signed. He remembered the first time when he found out his mother knew ASL.

They were somewhere, a CVS possibly. He was a bit younger, just starting high school since Hebe was in the 6th grade. The whole family was out for some reason, but they were picking something up at the pharmacy. The radio above them played "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia, and Hera absentmindedly muttered, "I love this song."

"Mom, you listen to music?" Hephaestus asked.

She scoffed. "Of course I did."

"Did? So not anymore."

She looked up. "Well, I'm too busy now to be rocking out. But when I was younger, yes, I loved music. I went to at least 10 different concerts."

Ares's eyes bulged out. "What?! You went to ten? That's so many."

"Yes, kids, believe it or not, I had lots of fun when I was younger. I mainly went with your uncle Hades or aunt Demeter, your father was never the concert lover. He's never been to one."

"Hey now, I saw that band with you in 2005," Zeus interjected.

Hera rolled her eyes. "Bowling for Soup was playing at the halftime show for a soccer game, and you didn't even know they were going to be there. That's the only reason why I agreed to go see that game with you."

"Hmph, you said it was to spend time with me."

"Well, I guess that was a secondary reason." Zeus kissed his wife on the cheek, which meant they were in a good mood. Usually, they would keep their distance.

"Wait, so, you probably spent a bunch of money on concert tickets if you went to 10," Ares continued.

"Well, I actually won most of the tickets on radio shows. I was really good at it because I had a radio growing up," she said with a genuine smile creeping up. "I remember listening to it all day and after school, I went over to the payphone to call in and if I won, they sent a cash prize to me. I got so good at it some of the stations banned me from calling again," she giggled, hiding her mouth with her hand.

"Payphone? Didn't you have a phone at home?"

"No, because...because my mother is deaf." Her eyes were spaced out, his mother's beautiful smile now dissipating.

"So...you know ASL?"

"Yes, I do. Well, did. I actually used to know this song in ASL." Huh, the idea that his mother was secretly bilingual baffled him.

Well, now that he was in the very phoneless house she was talking about, Ares knew that after this trip his family would never go back to being the same. Which was a good thing, he guessed, because they were pretty dysfunctional before. He used to care a lot more as a child when his parents fought, but over the years he got desensitized to the unhappiness in their household. As their firstborn, he got to see the most strife. Ares even called Zeus by his name instead of "dad" for many years, but Hera told him it reminded her more of their troubled family, so Ares stopped out of respect for her. Recently, he noticed his parents were getting along more. It meant nothing, of course.

Hera was in the middle of signing "Linger" by the Cranberries when Zeus tapped her shoulder. He and the children were done with their food, and Rhea had not touched her food. "You need to eat too, Hera."

She nodded, and decided to finish her dinner. Her soup was cold. Her mother sat across from her, her eyes blank. Hera sighed and got up to sit next to her. _Eat, Mom._ She picked up the spoon with soup in it, coaxing her mother's mouth to open with the metal edge. Her lips parted slightly, but not open enough for all the contents of the spoon to spill in.

The children left the kitchen, but Zeus lounged behind and leaned against the counter to watch his wife. A pang of sorrow went through his heart when he saw how tired and desperate Hera was. She would never tell him anytime soon the depth of her sadness, but he could see from her face that she was struggling to keep her emotions tucked away. She was still trying hard to accept that her mother's death was imminent, which by now Zeus had long accepted. He was afraid that Rhea's death would come before Hera came to terms with it.

He sighed and left the kitchen, leaving Hera to painstakingly feed her mother spoonful by spoonful till the soup was gone. Zeus lay in bed, rereading a book meant to distract him from his boredom when he heard Hera come in. He didn't even notice that an hour had passed.

He gave her a delicate smile and she returned it, leaned forward and kissed his cheek. She went to her side of the bed and fluffed up her pillow. "You know, we could be like this all the time."

He raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "Sorry?"

"Like this. Peaceful. Actually nice to each other. We could be like this all the time."

"I don't think I follow."

Hera sighed and sat down on the edge. "I like...how we are now. These past few weeks. It's been nice. And it can stay like this if..." She looked down. This was her foolish attempt to opening up, something she already regretted doing. She wished she had kept her mouth shut. "If we keep acting this way."

He put his book down. "Hera, you need to explain more."

"I think you've noticed we haven't really fought since you got here. And I think it's for a few reasons. Yes, a big one is that I've been quiet and upset about my mother's...condition, but I also think it's because we're so close to the kids now. And..." She couldn't finish her sentence.

"Because I haven't strayed."

"Yes." Hera's instantaneous response left both of them a bit surprised. Zeus knew she wasn't trying to guilt him, but he still felt the familiar feeling enter his body. It was painful.

"What's up with you and Ixion?" Sensing she didn't want to elaborate on the pain she felt when he cheated, he changed the subject to something that also piqued his curiosity. No one would want their current spouse to meet an embarrassing ex from high school, but there was something amiss between Hera and Ixion that wasn't normal. He wasn't just a high school boyfriend.

"Ixion?" Hera's eyes glistened. She hated opening up to Zeus, but among this, her guilt about her mother, and her feelings about his betrayals, she was most comfortable telling him about Ixion. "Ixion, well, he seemed excessively cheery at the supermarket, but the last time I'd talked to him was not so pleasant." She scooched next to Zeus and tucked her legs under the blanket. "It was a mistake going out with him."

Now, they were getting somewhere. Zeus prepared himself for a rush of jealousy hearing about her ex, but he couldn't resist the side of him who was dying of curiosity.

"Ixion and I dated for about a year or two in high school. He was okay. He wasn't mean per se, but we both knew that I would leave Kneebone and he would stay. He tried lots of things to tie me down with him, such as proposing."

The hair on Zeus's arms bristled. He had no idea that someone else had proposed to his wife. Even though consciously he knew that she rejected him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort.

"Obviously, I said no. It was stupid. And I was never in love with him, it was just a long stint of infatuation. We were silly children, and at that time I hadn't experienced anything outside of this town. He was my first relationship, and I wish I broke up with him sooner." She sighed, rubbing her arms. Zeus moved closer to her. Maybe his body heat could warm her up faster.

"Anyways, he did lots of things that I know now as an adult were completely unacceptable. He told everyone at our tiny, _tiny_ school when I finally agreed to sleep with him. It was hell for months. But I stayed anyway. He also made snide comments about me all the time, whether it was about my clothes, my music taste, my appearance, or...my mother. We graduated together, and we stayed together throughout my gap year. But my last conversation with him before I left has always stayed with me." Hera slinked down in the bed with Zeus's protective arm wrapped behind her head. He hoped she couldn't hear the pounding heartbeat in his chest. Panic was racing through his veins. He was dumbfounded by his wife's cognitive dissonance. She recognized that Ixion was a jerk and committed many deal breakers, but for some reason she stuck around with Zeus, the lying serial cheater. He knew any moment now, she might come to the same conclusion about him and leave him like she did Kneebone. It scared him.

"I broke up with him. I told him that I was leaving for UCLA, miles away from Canada. He didn't take it so well. It was like all these insults he was bottling up came out. He said that I was selfish for leaving him, I should stay with him and he didn't mean all the horrible things he had said before. He said I was a bad person for having hopes and dreams and I should be ashamed of myself for...leaving my mother behind. Which was ironic because the only time he was considerate of her was when he wanted to guilt me. Anyways, he said he was going to hurt himself if I left him, but when I was about to tell his mother, he retracted that and admitted he only said it to guilt trip me. When he realized that I was actually leaving Kneebone, he told me that everyone will remember who I am, never forget that I was slutty Hera who was the freak's kid, and was pathetic for having a father that didn't even care enough to stick around for the birth. It seems like Ixion forgot he said all that when we bumped into him, but I remember it clearly."

Hera was getting tired from talking so much, so she nuzzled her head into the crook of his arm. Zeus played with the ends of her hair then stopped when he heard her crying sniffles. Damn, she really did care about Ixion. She surprised him by correcting his thoughts.

"He was right about my mother. I left her behind and I never came back for her, until now." Her weeping crescendoed as her tears gracefully slipped down her cheeks. Even when she sobbed, Hera was beautiful. "I'm such a terrible p-person," she yelped.

"Hey hey, you're not a bad person at all."

"Yes, I am. What's wrong with me? I had money, I could've come. I could've done so much for her. I didn't even know she was dying until a month ago. What kind of daughter does that? She never did anything bad to me, all she did was love me." Hera's nails were gripping into his chest, which hurt. Her tears were reddening her skin. "There's so much I wish I could've said."

"You can still do that now, Hera." He kissed her head. "She's right there. You can still tell her."

Hera shook her head aggressively. "What if she doesn't remember me?" She got up and took a few deep breaths at a poor attempt to feel better. "Everyone...everyone said that by now I would've accepted how she's gonna be gone soon. But I'm not ready. It's too late, she won't remember me and I can't apologize for all the things I didn't do." Hera knew she had procrastinated for much too long. The dreaded heart to heart with her mother was never going to happen. She had missed her chance.

"You can at least try." Zeus held her dainty head and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "You never know."

Hera nodded in response and got up. She grabbed the ASL dictionary on the nightstand in case there were some intricate signs that she didn't know. She entered her mother's room where every object ignited a flicker of nostalgia. Rhea was supposed to be sleeping, but her eyes were still open. Hera sat down on the bed, which caught Rhea's attention.

_Mom, do you remember me?_

_Who are you?_

_I am your daughter, H-E-R-A. You gave birth to me. You are my mother._

_Really? That's amazing, you are beautiful._

Hera gave a sad chuckle. _I need to tell you many things. I need you to listen._ Hera shifted her legs. _I'm very sorry because I did not come. I left Kneebone and I moved to LA, and I didn't take you with me. I was ashamed of my town and..._ ashamed of her mother? It was a sentence Hera never dared utter, not even to herself. No, it couldn't be. It was much more complicated than that. _...and I was too scared to come back. I wanted to leave behind my past, but along the way I left behind you. I didn't try to, but it happened. It was an accident._ Rhea had no expression. Hera prayed that her mother was comprehending. _I'm so sorry. I wish I visited and I wish I brought my kids to meet you sooner... Do you think I'm a bad daughter?_

Rhea had a look of confusion. _How would I know, I am not your mother._

Hera sighed and pulled her hair till her scalp hurt. _Yes, you are my mother. I am telling you these things because I am your daughter. I want you to understand. When I was away, I never forgot about you._ Was that a lie? Hera herself didn't know. _I never wanted to leave you behind. A lot of sad things happened to me here, but that was not an excuse for me to leave. I was selfish for hating this place because you were the one that was deaf and I didn't suffer the most. I should've put you before me. I should've taken you with me to LA. Instead, I threw you away when I loved you so much and that was wrong. I was cruel and only thinking about myself. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?_

Rhea gave no response to her last question. Her mother was no longer lucid, and Hera was talking to herself at this point.

 _It's okay if the answer is no, Mom._ Hera swallowed when her mother closed her eyes. There was no hope left. Her mother would never know, and she was going to die soon. Hera felt the confirmation in her bones. She knew it now.

Hera reached over and kissed her mother on the forehead. She tucked Rhea in and turned off the lights, taking one last look at all the memories of her younger days. Zeus was waiting for her in the bedroom, and Hebe and Hephaestus were drifting off into sleep. Hera entered the room and immediately shook her head, which signaled to her husband the failure.

Zeus wrapped his arms around her as she fell into his body. Hera started wailing as loud as she wanted to, letting the burning tears wet her husband's shirt. Hera's crying scared the children. They had never seen their mother act so vulnerable in front of them before.

"Hey it's okay," Zeus whispered. His words did not do much, for Hera kept sobbing. They all knew the next stage was coming soon, and Hera's weeps were her acknowledgement of it.


	7. Chapter 7

Zeus wished they had a car in Kneebone. The walk to the funeral home was painful, but especially for Hera. She kept her face down the entire time, her eyes glued to every step on the ground. The children trailed behind their parents with their hands tucked in their pockets. Zeus knew Hera wasn't crying, but only because she refused to. He prepared himself to console her when she inevitably shuts down.

Twelve days after Hera's sincere talk with her mother, she passed away in her sleep. Unfortunately, Hera was the one to find her body. Her ear piercing scream and sobs confirmed for Zeus and the children that Rhea had passed in the night. Although Hera was preparing herself for this moment, the realization was still a shock. Her mother couldn't swallow food, control her bowels, or communicate. Nevertheless, the anticipated moment was a cacophony of sorrow, and Hera felt that she would never recover.

Rhea's funeral had about forty attendees, which was not too small for such a tiny town. Many of the people there were not close to their family, but just knew Hera or Rhea from passing by them in town. Even the much disliked Ixion was there. Some other people around Hera's age were the same ones who tormented Rhea with slurs. Wonder when they had a change of heart.

The entire funeral was a blur. Hera couldn't remove the ringing in her ears. Or the white in her vision. She wanted to shut down and have her entire mind blanked. She was snapped out of her inattention when Zeus elbowed her. She looked up to see everyone staring. He leaned over and whispered "eulogy" in her ear.

She nodded and got up, afraid that her trembling knees would give out. Standing up at the podium, Hera saw for the first time many faces she thought she would never have to encounter again. Some of them, she could tell, were analyzing her. It was only expected of them. To see someone who managed to escape Kneebone and have a completely new life in a big city like LA, they felt a disdain but also fascination to see her again.

She cleared her throat, ready to speak. "My mother, Rhea, was the best mother anyone could ever ask for. She was caring, kind, compassionate, and she was perfect the way she was. She had bravery and a passion for life, and she always put me first..." When she finished her eulogy, Hera silently returned to her seat. Now that she was done, she wanted to be alone to cry. Of course, there was still a burial ceremony and a wake to see. She discreetly wiped the tears forming and stared at the wall blank-faced.

When they finally arrived to the house, Hera entered her bedroom and sat down. The kids figured they should leave their mother alone and went to the backyard to grieve. Hera traced her outer thighs with her hands, rubbing them to get rid of the numbing feeling in her legs. Even when she was by herself, she struggled letting the tears come out. Right when she thought her eyes were about to burst, she felt a lurch in her stomach. She rushed to the bathroom and hovered over the toilet, filling it with her vomit. The acrid burn in her throat oddly soothed her pain only for a moment until the tears poured out. Hera could feel her head about to explode when a hand stroked her back softly. Zeus knelt down and pulled her close to him. She felt a tad embarrassed that he had to see her vomiting, even though he had tended to her morning sickness before when she was pregnant with the children.

"Shh, it's okay."

She shook her head. "No, no it's not."

He shushed her again. "It will be though, I know it."

After that day, Zeus decided it was probably best for them to stay a little bit longer. He rescheduled their flight and told the kids to be gentle with their mother for the time being. Hera slowly started to build back the wall that guarded her emotions. It was only expected, for this was Hera's way of coping. She barely talked, and everyone left her alone in silence. When Zeus slept with her by his side at night, she kept her distance by staying on the farthest side of the bed. He didn't take it personally. He knew that she just needed some physical space at the moment. However, once it became one week since Rhea's death and Hera had not improved, Zeus started to worry.

In the morning, Hera was still fast asleep. Zeus went downstairs to find the children heating up the dinner leftovers in the toaster oven. "Morning."

"Morning, Dad," Hephaestus muttered.

"So, looks like you kids know what you're eating for breakfast. Do you want me to head to the cafe to get anything else?" Zeus asked.

"Ooh, I haven't tried bison meat yet. If you see it can you get it, Dad?" Hebe asked.

"Bison meat? Hebe, what are you on about?"

"Bison. Mom told me while we were still in LA that sometimes they have bison meat, but you have to periodically check because they don't have it all the time. Mom said she had some recently at the cafe, but before she could tell me the selection they had we had to hang up because I had this thing to do with Iris so—ow!" Ares aggressively elbowed Hebe and shot her a dirty look. "What?!" Hebe countered back to him. He shot her another look and Hephaestus palmed himself in the face out of frustration. That was when Hebe realized her blunder. "Oh... oopsy."

Zeus could feel his chest constrict. It was like a heavy pressure on his heart, an anvil pressed on his sternum. He clenched his fist by his side and took a few deep breaths to quell his sorrow. He knew that this kind of betrayal was nothing in comparison to his infidelities, but he couldn't help but feel so disappointed. "What do you mean by 'hang up?'"

"Ummmmm, I don't know," Hebe said unconvincingly.

"Do you mean 'hang up' as in calling?" Their silence answered his question. "So you three had been habitually calling your mother whereas _I_ could only talk to her through a _fucking piece of paper_ that takes a week to arrive?!" It was one thing for his wife to lie to him like this, but another for his children to be in on it too.

"Well, Dad, technically she called you," Ares pointed out.

"Yeah, _once._ But you kids have been hiding this from me, knowing plain well that this was a secret!" He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. "So... this whole time, she just didn't want to talk to me, at all." The three teenagers eyed each other, unable to explain. They knew their parents' relationship was complicated, and there was no way that they understood it at all. One thing was for sure, Zeus was mad and felt betrayed. "I see, I see. Just... okay." Zeus paced back and forth through the kitchen and stuck his hands in his pocket. He was about to do something irrational, the kids could tell. To be quite honest, they did not expect their father to be so affected by something like this.

Zeus walked out the kitchen and headed straight for the bedroom. He gave himself a little pep talk in his head before confronting Hera. Right now, all he could think of was his feelings. Hera had woken up and gotten ready, and now she was making the bed. Her guard was convincing today. She seemed perfectly fine, which helped Zeus forget her emotional state.

"Hera." She turned around to face him. She flinched when she saw his cold expression. "You've been lying to me."

Her eyebrows shot up. God, what now? It was so early in the morning for fighting. "What?"

"You've been lying to me. You called the kids all the time when we were apart. You told me that you couldn't. Just tell me, is it because you hate me?" Hera took a deep breath and looked away. "Don't look away from me! Admit it, you were soooo happy that I was hundreds of miles away from you in LA. You couldn't wait to get away from me, it's an absolute dream to be far away from me!"

"Jesus, Zeus, what the _fuck_ are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid, Hera. I know for a fact that you don't love me. You just can't stand to hear my voice because it makes your head explode out of sheer annoyance. Just being around me makes you want to peel your skin off. Admit it! You don't love me anymore!"

"Jesus Christ, Zeus, you're being so irrational! Literally, what in the world are you rambling on about?"

"Then tell me why you refused to call me! I literally had to _beg_ you in a LETTER like it was 19-fucking-75 just to hear your voice! This was all some kind of cruel prank to torment me!"

Hera gripped her hair. This _motherfucker._ "You know what, fine! I didn't want to call you because guess what, I don't know how to talk to you! I don't know how to open up to you! And that's your fault!" He scoffed derisively. "I'm not good with verbal communication, okay? There, I said it. I don't feel close to you, at least not as close as someone should feel about their spouse. It's difficult for me to have a simple conversation with you because you've destroyed that trust and connection in our marriage! I dread the _thought_ of talking to you for hours on end."

"Ohhh so now everything is my fault!"

"Yes! Yes, of course it is! I resent you! You stick your dick into whatever hole it can find and you expect me to be able to pour my heart out to you? Face it, the only reason why we've been happy this trip is because you think all these hillbilly women are too homely for you to fuck! We're not happy because we get along or we're 'good' together, it's because you for _once_ in your life can actually think with your head instead of what's in your pants!"

"Guess what, you lied to me, you were dishonest, and now you've broken my trust too! You're such a fucking mystery and you never let anyone in! How am I supposed to stay dedicated to someone so cold and emotionally stunted? You make things so hard all the time!"

"Are you _actually_ comparing your relentless cheating to me not calling you for a month?! The sheer audacity for you to even say that to my face!" Hera stomped on the floor. "My mother just _died_ and you're picking some stupid fight for something that doesn't even matter!"

"I knew it! You don't care about our relationship at all! Our marriage doesn't matter to you!"

She let out the scream that was building up. "You never listen to me! Why are you _not_ listening to me?! Can't you _please_ just consider the fact that maybe these past few weeks have been extremely emotional and difficult for me? Maybe our dumpster fire of a marriage isn't the most pressing issue on my mind!"

"Unbelievable! Of course I listen to you! I'm listening to you right now! And all I'm hearing is that you don't love me anymore, I don't matter to you, and you thought that you could hide something like this from me!"

Hera's voice lowered to a dangerously scary quietness. "No, you do not. You do _not_ listen to me at all. Because what I'm saying right now is that this problem is being brought up at the _worst_ possible time because I'm still grieving my mother. But NOOOOO you have to talk about this now, of course!"

Zeus wanted her callous sarcasm to stop. On a regular day, it was amusing but when she used it during fights, it hurt. "Yes, we have to talk about this now, because it's important!"

"Tell me exactly why it cannot wait!"

"Because I'm scared, I'm fucking scared! That you're going to leave because you're going to find out that you can do better!"

Hera paused. "I had no idea you felt like that," she said. Zeus turned around and looked at his feet, scuffling them around. His secret fear was released, yet it made things tenser. "But technically, I _can_ do better."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying that I deserve _better_. You treat me like garbage, and I deserve better. I don't need to take this bullshit from you."

"Your insensitivity is ruining our marriage!"

Hera's rage returned. "The absolute _gall_ for you to say that the reason we're falling apart is because of me, and NOT your cheating!" She pushed him aside and ran out the bedroom door. She looked out the window and spotted her three children sitting on a picnic blanket, eating their lunch outside on the grass. She felt grateful they did not have to hear their freshest argument. Without further thinking, Hera let out a sob and ran outside the house, headed straight for the lake. "Mom!" she heard her children shout at her as she raced past them, with her hands covering her teary cheeks. Hera just wanted to ignore the world for a second.

When she came upon the lake, she paused right before she slipped into the sapphire water. God, why was her life so difficult? She took her shoes off and dipped a dainty toe into the water. It wasn't cold, more like room temperature. She proceeded to take all of her clothes off and once she was butt naked, Hera jumped into the lake. It had been years since she swam in this lake.

Zeus spent half the day pacing in the house to overthink the recent fight, but after he admitted to himself he couldn't make himself feel better, he walked to the downtown area to take his mind off of things. He dreaded the anticipated moment of bumping into Hera. After all, it was a tiny town and they were bound to see each other, but he was surprised to find that he didn't see her at all. He returned home after walking around aimlessly for the whole afternoon, only to leave again to get take-out since Hera hadn't come home and cooked dinner.

Zeus was starting to get worried until he heard the front door bang open. It was already nightfall, and Hera walked in with frizzy hair and soaked clothes. She definitely looked like she didn't want to talk to him. In silence, she walked past him and went into her bedroom, slamming the door like an uncooperative teenager. He sighed and rubbed his temples. He better prepare for a few days of the cold shoulder.

"Fucking bastard," Hera muttered under her breath. She changed her clothes and crawled into bed without a single bite of dinner. She bristled when she heard someone open the door. This motherfucker really can't take a hint, she thought to herself. Hera prepared herself to scream "go away" at the top of her lungs, but instead heard the voice of her sweet daughter.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Hera turned over to see her three teenage children standing at the door with wide eyes. She patted the bed to signal for them to come over. They all crowded around her and tucked themselves in with her. "Mom, we heard some shouting. Is everything okay?"

Hera sighed. "Your father and I fight a lot. It's really nothing."

"Okay, if you say so. But it sounded a lot more serious than usual."

"Don't you kids worry about it, it's not your responsibility anyways." Hebe wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, and Ares and Hephaestus sandwiched them on the bed.

After a few minutes of pleasant silence, Hephaestus asked, "Mom, do you love Dad?"

Unfazed by the personal question, Hera pondered it for a moment. "Yes, I believe so. Otherwise, the affairs wouldn't hurt so much. But I do believe I love your father." The kids seemed content with the answer, but Hera wasn't. "Although, I do believe I loved him a lot more when I was younger. You three already know we married when we were both very young. I think back then, my love for him was unconditional. Now, I've been pushed so far to the edge that I feel jaded all the time. My love's been tested too much. I love him... but I don't like him." Her children nodded in understanding.

"Mom, do you think Dad loves you?" Hephaestus asked.

"No. He's a narcissist. The only person he's ever truly loved is himself." Hera wanted to take it back after she said it. Maybe it was more complicated than that. "Well, maybe _no_ is not right. If you ask him, he'd say yes, he does love me. But it's not the type of love that we think of. The kind of love where you listen, cherish, and support, and _truly_ want to do better to minimize any pain someone else feels... I don't think your father's ever felt that for anyone."

"So...does that mean whenever Dad tells you that he loves you, you think he's lying?"

As if he ever said "I love you" a lot anyway. "Well, no. I guess what I'm trying to say is... he loves me, but not as much as I love him. We're not on the same level. I don't think we ever have been. Maybe when I was younger, I thought we were equal, but that was my own foolishness tricking me. Looking back at all those memories, I question if I misread everything."

"Well, Mom, just so you know, we all think that you should divorce."

Hera raised an eyebrow at them. "You kids shouldn't even be thinking about this. Focus on yourselves, your father and I will figure out what's best for us."

"Really, Mom. We've all talked about it with each other. Maybe at first the idea of it was upsetting, but if you think things will never work out, we're totally fine with it. A bad relationship isn't better than no relationship."

Since when did her children become so insightful? "I don't want to put you kids through a divorce, I can't do that to you."

"Mom, it hurts more to see you suffer all the time! We want you to be happy. Sure, having divorced parents isn't great, but we can't stand seeing you depressed all the time."

"Ohh, it's too late for me. I'm too old. Besides, if I divorce, nobody would want to date me. The whole idea of it is so silly."

"But Mom!" Hebe shot up in the bed. "You're only like, 40, and you look ten years younger. Your tits are huge and you also have a nice ass. You're hilarious too! And you know what a bad partner looks like so you'll stay away from them."

Hera chuckled. "Okay, thank you for the confidence boost, but it's much more complicated than that. Much, much more. As I said, I still love your father." Hebe huffed and settled back down into Hera's arms.

"Just so you know, there's this thing called trauma bonding that you should look into," Hebe muttered.

"Yes, dear. Another time."

"We're reading about it in health class. My teacher used to be a therapist, she gives great dating advice."

"Okay, Hebe, I'll look it up later."

After Zeus kept his distance for a few hours, he opened the bedroom door to see his wife and three children sleeping soundly together, crowded on the bed. He sighed and turned back around to sleep on the living room couch.

11111111111111111111

Zeus woke up to the sound of quiet clanging of pots and pans. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes to see that it was morning. The rays of sunshine were peeking into the house. He checked his watch. 8 AM. The children were definitely slumbering away and wouldn't wake for a few more hours. Zeus pretended to go back to sleep, but the knowledge that she was standing in the room right next to him kept him preoccupied.

He got up and silently walked into the kitchen. She was cooking bacon and eggs. "Hera?" She refused to turn around. "Hera, can we talk about yesterday?"

"What is there to talk about, Zeus?" Alright, it seemed like it was too soon to get her to open up.

He huffed. "Okay, well, I just wanted to let you know that our flight leaves in a few days, so it's probably good to think about what to do with the house, and pack." The bacon sizzled as Hera kept her head low.

"I'm not going back to LA."

Zeus gritted his teeth and clenched his fists by his side. "What are you talking about?"

"I need to stay in Kneebone for a bit more. And...I don't think we should be together."

"Stop joking, Hera, it's not funny."

"I'm not joking, I'm serious. I'm leaving you." Zeus rushed forward and hugged her from behind.

"Please, Hera, think about this a bit more. Give it some more time."

"I actually have thought about this for a while. I know what I want." He buried his face into her hair.

"Those...those things I said yesterday, I didn't mean it. Is this what it's about?"

"No, Zeus. It's much more than that. I just need to stay in Kneebone for a while, get some things straight."

"But you said you hated Kneebone. And now you want to stay here? Hera, please, go back with me. You're going to be so miserable here by yourself."

"My relationship with my hometown isn't as simple as love or hate. I need to spend some more time here. I need you to respect that."

"What about the kids? Think about them, Hera."

"They want this to happen." Zeus tightened his grip on her body as the frustration pulsed through him. Those _damn_ children thinking they're Dr. Phil or some shit, planting ideas into his wife's head.

"Is it because of Ixion? You want to get back with him?"

Oh dear Lord, not this BS. Hera scoffed. "Do you actually think I want to end our marriage for some crusty ex?" Zeus could feel the tears welling up. He shook his head against her shoulder. He was simply in denial of the fact that he and his actions were at fault.

"Please, Hera, stay. Stay with me. You can't leave. We're the it couple. Remember in college? When we all got tipsy and we played spin the bottle, and we kissed. Poseidon said we looked perfect together and we would be good for each other."

"Zeus, we were different people then. You know we're not the same as before."

"I promise we can bring it back, it's not too late. Really, I'll change. I'll grow."

"You've promised that before."

"Well, I actually mean it this time." He could feel her chest shake. From anger, heartbreak, or laughter, he couldn't tell.

She scoffed. "God, you're so horrible. Why are you like this?" 

"Please, Hera, I love you." He heard her chuckle. "From the bottom of my heart, I swear." She shook her head fervently. Zeus finally let out a sob. "Hera, don't you love me?"

"Stop, I... I do, I just can't say it right now." They both heard someone move in the bedroom, meaning one of their children woke up. He backed away from her, only to finally let the tears stream down his face. Hera also wiped her eyes. He hadn't noticed that she was silently crying. She tossed out the burnt bacon, now a skinny black strip. "Zeus, just leave me alone. At least for now."

He sniffled, but before he could leave the house to get breakfast at the cafe, he stepped forward and kissed Hera on the cheek. "I love you."

11111111111111

Zeus lunged to drop the last suitcase into the trunk of the cab. Hephaestus, Ares, and Hebe were already crammed in the back of the cab, waiting for their father to finish up. Hera stood at the front of the house, her arms crossed and her eyes staring wistfully at her family. Zeus looked up to make eye contact with his wife. He cautioned towards her to see if she was backing away, which would signal that she didn't want a goodbye. When he saw she didn't, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a sensual kiss.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" Zeus asked.

Hera paused for a second then shook her head.

"Will you at least promise me while you're here, in Kneebone, to think about us? Just, take your time and reconsider everything."

Hera sighed, but she nodded. "Yeah, I'll think about it." She could see the desperation in his eyes. No need to beat him down any further.

"I'm gonna miss you, Hera." She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"I'll miss you too."

When Zeus sat down in the front of the cab, Hera waved goodbye to her children. They waved back. Zeus composed himself in the car. How embarrassing it would be if he broke down in front of the driver. Maybe everything was just a game. A new ploy for Hera to get him to change, and it was a simple bluff. Zeus comforted himself with the lie that he knew was untrue, but if he said it enough he would start believing it. At least this delusion was much more comforting than the hard truth.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Push by Matchbox 20: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAkHqYlqops&feature=emb_title

Hera finally packed the last of her bedroom's things into a box. It had been one week since her husband and children left for home. She didn't know what to do with the property, but she figured she wanted to keep all of the things inside. They were much too sentimental. She was going to rent a small U-haul and drive everything back to California. Hera wasn't afraid of driving that much distance by herself. It was better than having Zeus next to her. She'd rather be alone with her thoughts.

Every day, she slept in her mother's bed and cried. Things were much easier now that everyone was gone and she could weep as loudly as she wanted. Maybe it was better to have her family there to comfort her, but they were thousands of miles away now and there was not much to do about it. She found a store downtown who agreed to take her furniture and refrigerator second-hand. She thought about throwing out some of her clothes from her adolescence, but Hebe probably wanted it for the "retro" look or whatever. She had already talked to the realtor in town, and it was likely that she was going to sell the house.

After taking a break, she entered her mother's bedroom to start packing. Earlier, Hera tried to pack some things, but it was much too painful. Now, she was ready. She picked up a box that was half-filled, and started to pack all of her trinkets inside. When she brought all of it back home, she was sure to show Demeter, Hades, Poseidon, and Hestia some of the pictures she sent her mother. Some of these seemed to be the only photograph or Polaroid of that moment ever printed.

Hera knew she promised Zeus she would think things over, but she was avoiding thinking about their relationship this entire time. She wanted to dig her heels in, go through with the divorce, but now that she was alone she was getting second thoughts. Even though Zeus had tortured her throughout the decades, she still felt bad for him when he was breaking down in front of her. God, it was so difficult hearing him so heartbroken. Just with one quiver of his anguished voice, she could feel her wall come crumbling down. It was so frustrating. It was possible they didn't have to divorce, but legally separate. She was sure Zeus would prefer that over a full on divorce.

All of Hera's letters that she sent her mother were bundled in the bottom drawer of the cabinet. Hera even cried as she read a few of them. She seemed so innocent and optimistic when she was in her twenties. A few of the letters even had baby pictures of her children that Hera was unsure they had in Los Angeles. She also used to be so in love with Zeus, blindly even. If only she could return to her younger self and warn her to take it easy, or at least to take what Zeus promised with a grain of salt. Some of the memories kept in the papers were almost completely forgotten, particularly the college memories. There was way too much drama back then, at least for Hera's current 40-year-old self.

Hera skimmed through practically every single one when she found a small notebook behind a stack of letters. It was her mother's diary. The year was 2018-2019. It seemed like the most recent diary her mother had because the second half of the book was blank. Obviously, Rhea's dementia was starting to set in and she stopped writing entries in. Hera thumbed through the pages, only stopping once because it felt invasive, but she reminded herself that her mother was deceased. A lot of the entries were about her daily activities, like making a new recipe for dinner. Sometimes she talked about how she missed Hera and hoped she was doing fine. She reached the very last entry, which also seemed to be the longest. Hera could tell her mother was grasping onto one of her last moments of full lucidity to write a last entry. Whereas Hera skimmed her other entries, she was intrigued by this one, mostly because she saw her name flash by multiple times.

_13/3/2019: Dear Diary, I can feel my true self slipping. I'm not sure what's happening to me. Every day, it seems I forget more and more details about my past. I so desperately wish to hold onto the memories of Hera when she was a little girl, but I'm afraid the only things I have left to remind me of her are our photographs and the letters she's sent me. The other day, I wanted to drop off my response, but I simply forgot. I picked up the stamped envelope from the kitchen counter yesterday, and I realized that I still hadn't sent it. I hope she doesn't think I'm ignoring her, I would hate for her to think that._

_I miss Hera so dearly. I wish she would come visit more. I haven't seen her beautiful face in so many years. Though, I understand if she wouldn't want to come back here. Kneebone was never the place for her. Besides, she has her philandering husband to take care of, and she has her busy life in California, with her three children. I hope one day I will get to meet my three beautiful grandchildren. I love Hera so much, I'm content with just knowing that she's well and thriving. I know she feels guilt about moving to America, but I just want her to be happy wherever she is. She's my darling daughter, but I cannot imagine Hera sacrificing her time to stay with me here in Kneebone, where I know she hates it so much. Although it hasn't given me much, I can never leave this town. It is my home and I hope Hera knows that taking me with her to California would be uprooting me from where I want to be. If only she could come see me more, that is all I wish._

_She is my most cherished treasure. I know she carries me in her heart, and I carry her with me too. She may have her own emotions to go through, she was never the type to work through her feelings so well. I love her so much, and I'm happy that she has her own children to look after. I can only hope that I remember her face when I pass._

Hera didn't notice her tears were dripping down. Her mother's diary entry could not quell all of her guilt, but it still gave her some closure. Rhea died more than a year after this entry was written, but for Hera's sanity, she chose to believe that somewhere deep inside the mother she took care of for the past month, she still loved Hera. She knew in time, she would heal. It was what her mother would've wanted. The ghost of her past couldn't linger on forever.

She dried her tears before it could fall and smear her mother's handwriting. Getting up, Hera decided to take a short walk through the town, just to say goodbye before she had to leave soon. She passed by all the quaint stores, the maple trees, and the city benches. She had been wandering for a while when she came across the tiny public library at Kneebone. The last time she was inside was probably as a high school student, trying her best to do her homework by using encyclopedias. There was no Internet at that time.

She walked in to find two computers, presumably connected to the Internet, for public use, but two teenagers were playing some video game on it. Hera walked around to find the appropriate encyclopedia, or any book actually, that could address psychology or mental health. Finally, she found a fairly recent copy of a book called _Encyclopedia of Trauma & Psychology._

Hera flipped through the pages to find what she was looking for. "Traumatic bonding: when one becomes emotionally attached to their abuser after ongoing cycles of physical, sexual, emotional, and/or verbal abuse. These emotional bonds are typically resistant to change and are more difficult to sever the longer a relationship continues..." Hera shut the book before she could read another sentence. Why did Hebe want her to see this? Hera was so uncomfortable of the idea that her husband had been abusing her. Could the "love" that she was talking about actually be a hallucination, a fabrication her husband made? Was he hypnotizing her all these years to convince her that she loved him? He was a bad husband, yes, but was he that bad?

Disturbed, Hera placed the book back and hastily walked out. She liked to think that she knew her husband well enough to know when he was being sincere. He seemed genuinely sorry during that kitchen conversation. She walked back somber to the house. Now she was caught in the middle, no idea whether she should stay with him or go. Hera deep down wanted to keep trying, but what if that was just the so-called "trauma bond" or whatever? Her reality was completely shattered.

 _"...but if you think things will never work out..."_ Could things work out with another try?

At least her children were emotionally intelligent. Hera was concerned that they might end up as their father, a narcissistic and inconsiderate partner, or even worse, as Hera, trapped in an emotionally crippling marriage. It seemed from their late-night conversation her children knew to steer clear from their parents' paths.

Hera stayed in the house for another three weeks. She had long packed everything, but she just wanted to stay in the space for some more time. Today, though, she was ready to leave Kneebone. It was the last time she would ever step foot here. She had no more connections to this town, and she had no desire to ever come back. The U-Haul was out front, and she meticulously placed the boxes inside to get ready to leave that morning.

The postman strolled by, and after a friendly greeting, he handed Hera her mail. Junk, junk, junk, except for a postcard.

_OK. You win. Please come home. Will you take me back? -Zeus_

Hera released a sob and huffed. Fishing through her purse, she found a pen and a blank postcard from a bundle wrapped together with a rubber band. She wrote her one word response on it, stamped it, and rushed out to chase down the postman, who accepted her postcard.

Stepping into the driver seat, Hera took one last look at her childhood home before driving off towards California.


End file.
